Childhood smells

[String o' beads]

We used to dissolve Vick's in the bowl of boiling water..

[Leodian]

tyke bhoy wrote: Leodian wrote: I've had a quick skeg through all of the messages in this thread and did not see one about the strong smell that came off whenever I used a medicine to unblock a blocked sinus when I was a kid in the early to mid 1950s, when a few drops of something were added to very hot water in a bowl and I then put my face over that with a towel over my head to hold the resulting vapours in. The pungency of the vapours was very strong as they cleared my sinus. No doubt a similar product is still available but I've not used one since I was a kid. camphor? Cheers tyke bhoy. It would likely have been that. I may recall the brand name at some stage.

[chameleon]

tyke bhoy wrote: Leodian wrote: I've had a quick skeg through all of the messages in this thread and did not see one about the strong smell that came off whenever I used a medicine to unblock a blocked sinus when I was a kid in the early to mid 1950s, when a few drops of something were added to very hot water in a bowl and I then put my face over that with a towel over my head to hold the resulting vapours in. The pungency of the vapours was very strong as they cleared my sinus. No doubt a similar product is still available but I've not used one since I was a kid. camphor? Or maybe eucolyptus oil, Tincture of Benzoate (Friar's Balsm) - but that's a rather sweet smell).

[Leodian]

Geordie-exile wrote: We used to dissolve Vick's in the bowl of boiling water.. That reminds me that Vicks Vapour Rub (or similar) on the chest had a very strong smell. I wonder if chestyness/blocked sinuses were a common thing for a child in the late 1940s/1950s when such as dust from coal fires etc was common?

[Jogon]

Just love the smell of real fires, coal etc it's such a rarity. The Duck n Drake had a real fire blazing late time I drank.

[geoffb]

yorkiesknob wrote: I managed the treble up of smells in the late 60s. During my school holidays I worked on the upgrade of the A653 Dewsbury Rd . I was the assistant to the engineering surveyor(chainman). At the bottom of the section was the sewerage treatment plant near the woodman Pub. Half up towards Dewsbury was Wide Lane where the site office were located. Opposite was a dripping processing plant . the third one was at the top where the M62 is at Tingley, back then there was a coal gas plant situated nearby.So in the smell Rankings.Clear winner by a mile was the dripping factory, always reminds me of a school visit to a tannery on Meanwood rd. Half the class started vomitting at the stench in the hide washing area.Next the Gas works.Sewer plant was a doddle compared to the other two. Windows closed in the Woodman no problem, lemonade for me of course.Dowsett was the civil contractors I worked for, went on to serve my time with them, surveying on the construction on the M62 Gildersome to Chainbar section. In them days it was a million quid a mile , hate to think of the cost these days.Cheers and a merry Crishtmas to one and all at SL. Yorkie Remember these smells well, I worked at Tingley gas works for 2 years, I was immune to the smells emanating from there but people on the bus thought there was a gas leak when I was going home. Tommy Greens dripping factory and tripe dressers on Wide Lane was rank most of the time, but there were occasions when they were rendering a few beasts when the aroma was like a Sunday roast!! There is a pub at the junction now. They asked for names for it but my suggestions were not accepted. The Tripe Dressers or Tub Of Lard:-) But they named it The White rose

[yorkiesknob]

Geoffb, Rank is a great word for the the smell coming from Tommy Greens processing factory.They could have called the pub THE DRIP INNCheers Yorkie